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State of Israel listed in here,’ he said, looking down the long list of addresses.

‘Yes, most of my visitors are Israelis,’ Pete said. ‘They have some kind of book that recommends paying me a visit. They’ve all been bringing me chickens.’

Pete went on to tell us how he had ended up in a Bolivian prison. He had been caught smuggling a kilo of cocaine and was sentenced to eight years. After telling his story, he suggested a guided tour.

We went down to the yard. It was a weird place. Something like the Turkish prison in the movie Midnight Express. An outer wall and inner wall surrounded a large courtyard. The old structure was built around the inner wall. There were no cells or bars and it looked more like a market, with prisoners milling about at liberty. Vendors sold fruit, ice cream, cakes, and other sweets. There were even a restaurant, billiard hall, and movie theatre.

‘This all belongs to the prisoners,’ Pete explained. ‘If you’ve got the dough, you can open a business and live pretty well in here. One prisoner has a restaurant, another runs a vegetable stand, someone else even sells grass. Money rules. They don’t even give you a cell or room. You have to buy one. When I first got thrown in here, I spent a few nights on the bathroom floor, until the money my mother sent me from Canada arrived. Then I bought that little place and made it into my room.